


The Adventures of Venus in Moneylann

by Wonderbowful



Series: The Flow of Life [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Anthropomorphic, F/F, F/M, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm so tired, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, Inspired by Music, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Magic, Multi, Polygamy, Psychedelic, References to Music, Tulpas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:47:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27949301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wonderbowful/pseuds/Wonderbowful
Summary: Venus Creamcheese Suzil, an author, goes on a trip to New York with her boyfriend Mars Perin. During a surprise riot in the middle of the busy streets of New York, Mars is kidnapped and brought into an oddly familiar land called Moneylann where he is put up on the execution block. After Venus finds out he's been taken away, she roams the streets and follows the evil king Filigree to Moneylann. She only has a matter of time to rescue the love of her life before he becomes executed. All the while, king Filigree plans his wedding to the lovely Venus in hopes to capture her eye one last time...It's a fun, psychedelic read inspired by songs from The Beatles, The Mothers of Invention, and The Monkees. It IS NOT suitable for all ages. It will be released in increments (with the prologue and the 1st chapter being released first). A chapter will be released every other week until it's finished up with the epilogue).
Relationships: King Filigree & His 12 Wives, King Filigree/Suzy Angela "Angie" Blues, King Filigree/Suzy Birman "Squee" Straight, King Filigree/Suzy Pamela "Circ" Muffin, Venus Creamcheese Seuzil/Mars Victor Perin, Venus Seuzil/King Filigree
Series: The Flow of Life [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2046857





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> As prefaced in the summary, this IS NOT suitable for all ages. There are a lot of references to implied drug use, domestic abuse, among many other subjects. Please tread through this story lightly but, overall, have fun.

Sad and afraid, a lone Venus sits at the edge of an abandoned stairwell right next to the crazy lights and blaring heat of a city in ruins. Her mind is racing, “Where is Mars when I need him? He’s been gone for way too long, I just wanna go home!” Her thoughts were focused on the love of her life, Mars. He got thrown into the heat while they were on a simple trip over and now there Venus was, alone. Venus hated the thought of being alone or having to fight on her own, but she did whatever she needed for Mars… even if the possibility of fighting in this town meant death. “Venus…” she heard a man call her name quietly. He stood in front of her, fear soaking her entire body at this point. He was dressed in regalia; a royal purple hooded cape shadowed most of his face and gold laced almost every bit of his body. “I’ve come to you; a messenger from Moneylann. You’re needed at the castle. I assure you, it’ll be worth much of your time…” he said as he lent a hand to her. She stood before him and followed him down the alley towards an old puppet theatre. He crawled through the front and disappeared magically. Venus was rightfully confused. Her boyfriend disappeared and now a weird fella in a purple cape is telling her to come to some odd theatre called Moneylann? How bizarre, why is she “needed” here? Despite having a terrible feeling in her gut, she ventured into the theater and immediately fell into a hole… This began her adventure.


	2. A Loppy Pit of Misery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Venus and Filigree are falling from the sky and are transported into the world of Moneylann. As they delicately fall, Filigree listens to Venus' inquiries and enjoys a hot cup of coffee. Eventually, she asks one too many questions and Filigree gets fed up; causing Venus to transform into an anthropomorphic rabbit. He entices her to come to the castle, she falls to the bottom of the pit, and enters the world of Moneylann. This is where she meets her first ally, Fish-head Jimmy.

“I’m falling! Where am I falling to?” Venus said, thinking she was alone. “A loppy pit of misery and a huge kingdom of anti-heroes and wrongdoers…” the same exotic looking man from before was there, laid back in the atmosphere relaxed with what seemed to be a nice hot cup of coffee. “While we’re here we might as well get acquainted. Hi, I’m Filigree. I am the king of this awful place. You’re Venus of Aboveworld aren’t you? Musician, genius, author. I’ve heard a lot about you from my Suzys; they talk too much.'' She was surprised by how much he knew about her. “Why do you know so much about me, Filigree? Are you a fan of my work?” she questioned  
“A fan!?” he scoffed, “I am not a fan, Venus, I live your work…” his words kind of blurred to her like melted butter on a tinted mirror. She was absolutely confused when she finally got clarity, “look, lemme explain it this way, babe. The worlds you’ve created in your masterpieces, I’ve tried to recreate them. I have been unsuccessful in my efforts however and I’ve created this hideous world. That’s why I need you,” he tapped her hand lightly and continued, “I need you to help me create your home.”  
“But, this place looks completely fine! You seem very relaxed.”  
He giggled, “well although I look fine, sweet, I need you for uhm… Many things.” He then looked Venus in the eye, hoping she knew something that she wouldn’t know till later.  
Creeped out by his odd closeness she replied to the king, “while I’m flattered by this offer, I must go back home. I can’t live here and I certainly can’t go with you to create my previous worlds.”  
His mouth kind of squinched up and soured, “and why is that Venus C. Seuzil? Is my world not good enough for your posh and prissy pretty self? A-am I not good enough?”  
“No, it’s because of stuff like that. I appreciate your words, Mr Filigree, but please. I have a boyfriend-”  
“Oh I know about your just as prudy lil boyfriend, Mars Perin… He’s,” he kind of giggled, “a bit of a squealer…” one of Filigree’s glaring eyes shone underneath his hood. Venus was in fear yet again as he continued, “and soon you may be too. You are gonna be a lil rabbit and you will play as such. And let’s change you out of such clothes, raggedy ann.” He set his cup aside in the never-ending pit and clapped his hands loudly. Venus’ ears then began to extend and she grew a small fuzzy button tail. She was then magically placed in a small diner style dress complete with an apron. Filigree was pleased, “now then my rabbit, hop along. And hope that my Suzys don’t find you on your lil search for your boyfriend. Now you are always welcome to give up and come back to me and help me in my plans, but I know you. You’re a ruthless lil young thing. Now away…” and with that he disappeared seamlessly within the sky to his castle as Venus gently drifted to the ground. She blacked out for a moment and when she woke up, she was in a new world separate from the Aboveworld where she once was as Filigree put it. She seemed to be in the trunk of an elaborate tree-like gateway; a portal to the new land. She got up, quickly regained her bearings and walked out towards the sunlight. It was unbelievable, the sight she saw. Everything looked gritty, industrial, and raw. Streets crossed into each other as cars full of Rat-Finks and Weirdos zoomed by speed cameras; Other sights for sore eyes walked in pairs down alleyways and into buildings. A fish headed man then came tumbling towards her. “MOVE WAY! MOVE WAY!” he yelled as he crashed face first into Venus. They both stumbled onto the ground as the weird fish man sat straight up and dusted off his suit, “You ruined my suit, that you did. It cost me a lot of woney!”  
“But don’t you mean money?” Venus replied  
“Money?!,” he looked at her with a shocked expression only a fish man could make, “are you an Abovling? You must be and must not be, that you must.”  
“An Abovling? What’s an Abovling?”  
“Oh you’re definitely an Abovling then. Most of them don’t know they’re one until they- Oh fooey. I’m Fish-head Jimmy, ex-lord in waiting for the king Filigree…” Jimmy said in a discordant tone.  
Venus was even more confused than she was before, she looked at the weird fish man and realised something familiar in him. “Nice to meet you Fish-head Jimmy. And uhhh yes, I guess I am an Abovling. My name is-”  
The fish man gasped, “YOU’RE… OH! Well I probably shouldn’t say your name aloud but,” and cleared his throat, “you are Venus, yes?”  
“Yes, I am. I need help getting to the castle. I’m afraid that old king Filigree captured my boyfriend and is holding him captive.”  
“FILIGREE?! That lazy ol' guss only sits on his pile of woney and barks orders at his ladies all the time, yep yep. But oh he goes on about how they never do what he wants them to do! As if I couldn't pick any better women around here than the ones up in that accursed palace!-" He seemed to hop around in anger. Venus tapped the fish man on the arm, "Uhm, Mr. Jimmy?" He looked at her suddenly, "Right you are. Listen, if you wanna find your boyfriend, I’d ask The Suzys. But then again… They’re kinda mean.” Jimmy, the fish man, toiled with his slimy fingers. He looked rather uncomfortable talking about the odd group of women. He then continued, “listen, I’ll help you but if you get into a run in with those Suzys you can bet I am leaving you as cold as dust. Understand, that you do?”  
“Understood, Jimmy. Now then… tell me about this place…”  
"Tell you!? I have no knowledge of such but I'll tell you as much as I can…"


	3. Origins of a Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the chapter details the creation of Filigree and his spiral into violence. While Venus and Jimmy try to find an old friend that will direct them to the King's castle, Filigree sits in his music room and laments on his previous relationship with Venus. Eventually he leaves said room and interrogates Venus's current lover, Mars Perrin.

The creation of Moneylann followed shortly after a wish from a very young and single Venus. “Make him tall, a lil lanky, with hair as black as night and as curly as tumbling thorns. Make him musically inclined and as wonderful and whimsical as my own.” Eventually she got her wish in the form of Mars Perin, her lovely and cute boyfriend. However lying in thundering weeds and covered in dust was the conception of her wishes, a creation of her own design asleep underneath papers upon papers of old lyrics, stories and characters, and Filigree was his name. He arose from his paper ashes and found himself in a new land. A land in the shape of a girl's room, decked to the nines full of clutter, art, and little stories of her and the man who rose before her. In a state of awkwardness, he grabbed a blanket to cover his nudity and darted through her bedroom window; into a heated night full of shadows and heathens. Walking into the endless dark he fell accidentally into a sewer grate and saw himself in a magical realm. All of the characters there were friendly and sweet all with the exception of the few who were locked in jail. “Where am I?” he asked with an odd tone in his voice that would linger for ages. “Why you’re in Discovera!” one said with a charming tone, “we’ve all been waiting for you Filigree! Welcome home!” Everyone cheered his arrival. His friend, the amazing Sir Jimmy Porter, crowned his new brother and soon played an event with the king known as The New Grand Gig. He was content with his home and all of his belongings and soon realized that Discovera was created by other creatures of Venus’, all of whom fell into the same exact sewer grate. He was given all kinds of presents, trinkets and toys. Women flocked to him just to see if he’d marry them; he only married a few. However years went by, Discovera remained in peace when a storm finally hit. Filigree's first wife, Circ, ran into his music chamber and he was in shambles; every bit of him fell into despair and anger as he tried to make sense of what his creator had done. A war waged on between the king and his servants and those who opposed him. He dismembered those who chose to remain loyal to Venus by turning them into animals and having them hunted. His “wives”, all named Suzy, vowed that they’d do anything to make him happy and chose to unite as assassins who'd hunt the poor creatures down. But he didn’t want them, he wanted Venus. She gave him life and a purpose, she was the only desire he ever had and now she wanted to run off with Mars? It made no sense to him. “Maybe if I create a land like that in her stories and lyrics and such, she’ll come back to me or- or or or sh-she’ll be hypnotized by it all and fall to me! That’s- that’s what I’ll do! I’ll create a world for her!” and so Moneylann was born out of the rage and fury held long deep within the grumbly excess of Filigree’s heart. However the world wasn’t as perfect and clean as he wanted it to be; creatures who were once in jail began to roam the city, laws were not enforced except by the Suzys, and any good left in it began to vanish. Soon he would blend that frustration of his into the world. He left no peace behind, no stone unsmashed, and no good fellow undetained. All the while Filigree, like Venus when she was a young girl, wished for one thing… He wanted a girl of his own.

Day after day it seemed like Filigree was always staring off at the little singing jewelry box he had in his music room. The music box was a magical little gift that was given to him by Venus herself. He sighed and told Suzy Circle, his most faithful wife, about it. “Do you see that little dancer there? In the ice cold box?”  
Circ (as she went by) took a dim look inside of the little music box, “I don’t get it Fili. All your life you’ve shown me this stinking music box. I just don’t know what you’re trying to get across anymore.”  
He grunted and stared off at the box longer. Inside the box, the dancer was dressed in belly-dancing clothes. Her hair moved with the flow of her fabric as she lightly tiptoed in circles. Her cheeks were always flushed, her eyes glowed and danced, a smile always remained across her soft face… except for now. For the past few days, the dancer’s face looked worried and it looked as though she held out her arms for a dancing partner. Filigree looked up and around at Circ, “you and the rest of your minions can have my woney and my castle and my gaze, but you can never have my heart of thorns…”   
Circ remained impatiently patient. She heard this speech many times before about how he actually never loved any of his Suzys. He only uses them as law enforcement and for the sexual or emotional comfort he needs every now and then. This was then and he was emotional. She rolled her eyes as he continued, “through that little dancer I can see her. I can see how she’s doing in Aboveworld…”  
Circ’s mind clicked a bit, “wait a minute who’s this ‘her’ you speak of?”  
“Venus Seuzil… M-my creator and the woman who I’ve adored from afar for many years.” He quickly jotted down a quick sketch of what she looked like now, bunny ears and all. Circ’s eyes widened, she knew none of them could ever win his love but to lose it all to some little rabbit with way too much time on her hands? She felt absolutely offended. Filigree then continued more, “I want you, Suzy Square and Suzy Angle to go and capture her for me. She must be mine! Then she shall have her little dance again-”  
“ARE YOU NUTS!? You want your best assassins to go out on a rabbit hunt? What’s so special about her anyways…”  
A second went by when Filigree’s voice boomed, “YOU WILL BRING HER TO ME AND YOU WILL BRING HER ALIVE! I don’t want any funny business Circ…”  
Circ gasped a little; surprised by the violence in his voice. She then asked “What about the guy?”  
He gave the question some thought and then answered, “keep him locked, do nothing to him. Leave him be…” Circ left the room and that was the end of that conversation.

Filigree rushed his way down to the dungeons underneath the castle that housed the young and feathered Mars. Each cell of the dungeon contained people both dead and alive, who had their freedom taken from them by the ruthless king. In a sense, they were prisoners of war. He banged on the cell Mars was in, “alright, tell me everything. How did you get with Venus?”  
Mars spat on his feet to the best of his ability, “I won’t tell you anything, creep”  
“Oh how original, tell me something I don’t know.”  
“I oughta tell you about reason then, you obviously don’t know anything about that.”  
He put a strong hand around Mars’ neck, “Might I remind you that no one will know if you went missing in this realm!?”  
“Okay! Okay. I’ll tell you everything. Venus and I met at a bakery. She was a frequent customer there; so was I. Every other week, we’d meet there and eventually she gave me her number. That’s all I recall. After a long time, we hooked up and ended up moving in together. I would’ve proposed to her yesterday if it weren’t for you fucking it all up!”  
Filigree wrapped a finger around a loch of his own hair and twirled it around as he walked in front of Mars’ cell. He thought, namely about a distant memory when Venus left him. All of the perfumed flowers that were grown for her were suddenly torn up out of the ground in search of answers. He then looked at Mars and leaned himself on the bars of his cell, “I’m sure you love her, but what have you actually done for her? What did she like to do?”  
Mars reluctantly answered him, “I’d cook warm food for her; shrimp, whatever, namely seafood. I’d cuddle her in the night and kiss her little shoulders. I’d buy her medicine whenever she was sick and I’d take care of her. She loved watching the world go by with me and walking in the park. She’s as ordinary as any other person out there, but I love her because she inspires me!”  
Filigree looked dryly at the corny crow in front of him, “Ew, all of that sounds disgusting. ‘She inspires me’, I mean really how dry can you be? But I guess your information could be useful. We’ll have only two more conversations and I may let you go. It all depends-”  
“Depends on what?”  
“Depends on how I feel that day. End of discussion; back to your corner…” Filigree took his knowledge and quickly shared it with his Suzys...

Somewhere in the streets, Jimmy and Venus looked around for some kind of direction towards the castle. Jimmy told as much as he could about how Moneylann came to be, however he had no prior knowledge about Filigree's past. "Fili was like a brother to me, despite all the drama he's caused…" Jimmy was effectively hurt by the actions Filigree made. He was the king's right hand man, a percussionist, and even the man who married Filigree off to most of his wives (at least 9 of the 12 he's currently married to). Jimmy and Fili were very close and tended to share smoke talks and jam sessions with each other a lot however, once Jimmy told Fili about another young lady to marry, things changed a lot. Filigree spent almost ALL of his time with this young woman and rarely paid attention to the problems outside of his castle, laying the stress onto Jimmy. Rightfully so, Jimmy went to Filigree immediately and demanded him to change; pointing out how stressed he's been and how Fili hasn't been quite as friendly as he used to. And then poof, Jimmy became a fish and was just as immediately arrested for talking "down" to the king. Out of everyone, Jimmy knew that whoever Filigree was dating back then knew him better than anyone including Jimmy himself. During their conversation, Venus looked deep in her heart. She knew her boyfriend had to be in that castle somewhere and she was not leaving without him. “Filigree told me to my face that Mars is a squealer. What does that mean?” she asked Jimmy on their walk.   
“I have no clue. Maybe torture, the torture never stops there. Or maybe your boyfriend, is Mars his name? Well maybe he’s just screaming everyday in hopes you’ll find him. Either way, it’s not so fruitful for your little Mars that it’s not.”  
All while they conversed, Jimmy looked in varied directions trying to find someone he wasn’t sure he knew or not. Venus took notice of this and asked the fish, “what are you looking for?”  
Looking down the fish replied, “Well to be honestly honest I’m not quite sure. I keep thinking of this one lady. All I remember is that she lived on the outskrits close to the bars and stuff. I think she was that lady Filigree used to fancy only because she-'' there was a long pause as both of them stopped. Venus wondered what the fish was thinking of. As far as she knew, Filigree only truly fancied two people, himself and her. She couldn’t imagine him liking another lady before her. Finally he gasped in excitement and remembered, “I REMEMBER HER! I REMEMBER HER!”  
“Wait! Wait, Jimmy!” Venus ran in full pursuit after the fish man. He jumped off trash cans and pushed people aside as he ran, Venus did the same. People shoved back and gave all kinds of angry looks at the two of them. When he finally found the spot he seemed to jump for joy as they entered a largely wooded area filled with cabins. Each cabin housed something different such as a bar or even a little brothel. “She’s somewhere here! Gosh I haven’t seen her in years! I think the last time I saw her was back when…” he stopped a moment. Something shone underneath Jimmy’s suit and tie, it glowed a strong vibrant blue. “Jimmy, you’re glowing!” Venus said softly as to not disturb his excitement. Jimmy looked down and noticed what the girl was talking about. It even shocked him, he had no clue what was happening. Panicked, he ripped his tie and jacket off and noticed a little sparkly spot on his throat. It was as bright as day and it swirled on the inside as if it were full of magic. A door from one of the cabins flung open, “HEY LADIES I THINK WE FOUND EM!!!”  
A buck toothed, blonde haired woman then jumped out of the shadows and tried to lash at the both of them. She carried a large chain whip which had sharp purple gem-like knives at the end and slung the apparatus around. Two other women, one with actual knives and another with throwing stars, tried to capture Jimmy, however his slimy fishiness came to his aid as he slipped out of their hands and into a cabin. "WHY'D YOU LET HIM SLIP YOU DOPES!" the buck-toothed woman yelled at her colleagues and went back to fighting Venus. Venus’ agility made her very hard to catch but eventually she was taken by the hand from the buck toothed lady. “You” she said with a very aggressive tone, “if I ever have to hear about you again I swear I will crush you down so far into the gr-”  
She was then interrupted by some lady in the cabin Jimmy was in, “HEY CIRC! Leave… Her… Alone.” Her voice was elegant and casual, like that of a modern princess. The lady, stunned, dropped Venus to the ground and left with the rest of her posse. And standing in the cabin doorway, was a tall human camel…


	4. Desert Salt Stuck in Goo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their defeat, the Suzys report back to Filigree to let him know about the whereabouts of Venus. Fili uses this knowledge to his advantage and visits her in their sleep. Meanwhile, Jimmy and Sharleena catch up on lost time and remember their experiences in a war that waged 4 years ago. Suzy Square (also known as Squee) learns more about Venus as well as she feeds the innocent Mars. After Venus wakes up from her dream, the trio set off to find a magician.

Circ, Suzy Square, and Suzy Angle came back in a huff. Running from the outskrits all the way towards the castle everyday gets tiring even for the most skilled of Suzys. There were 12 Suzys in total all with a unique shape name to identify themselves with. They have been loyal servants to Filigree since his arrival. Circ missed those days, Fili was always a crab now that he couldn’t have Venus. Wallowing in his throne, Slumping in sadness in his music room, and making daily rounds to the basement for some odd reason. The three suzys made their way past hallways of sheer satin curtains and portraits in various styles of the man himself. They entered into his grand hall, filled to the brim with golden piles of woney and a single throne decorating the very top of a particular stack. Like the dragon that he was, Filigree sat with his chin up high and his spirits light; many other Suzys surrounded his chair and looked down at the other three Suzys before them. “What’s the status on Venus, babes?”  
“Well we found her and the fish. However between her agility and his slipperiness we weren’t able to successfully capture them.” Suzy Square, Sqwee as she was called, reported the news to him.  
“Oooh she’s a quick one…” he sighed and then he laughed, “we’ll see just how quick she gets when things rise to the crumble. But for now, come here ladies. I need my kisses!”  
Sqwee and Suzy Angle both dropped their weapons and ran up to go sit with him on either side of his chair. Circ was still a little frustrated, she knew too much about Fili and everything about him just made her so mad now. The wives, Venus, even what he did years ago with a woman by the name of Sharleena; everything devoured her and she just felt unloved. When she looked back at all these moments of hate, she started to question things. But she looked up at the glow that seemed to emanate around him like a halo, his shit eating grin and his deep set dark hollow eyes and buckled back into her habits. She too dropped her weapons and walked up to Fili.

Venus started to doze after the incident between the ladies and the camel. Jimmy seemed to be pretty close friends with the camel, he practically knew her like a book. So who was she? What did she do that made Circ and them go astray that easily? The camel walked into her room, “hey buddy, how ya feeling? You took a mighty fall after she dropped ya.”  
“I’m feeling fine. Who are you?”  
“My name is Sharleena Wood. I go by many other things, but that’s what most people in this land call me.”  
Venus rubbed her eyes and yawned, “Nice to meet you! I'm Venus Seuzil. I’m still a little sleepy. I haven’t had really any sleep since I got here! You don’t mind if I stay in here do you?”  
Sharleena contemplated and then replied, “sure! You are the world famous Venus Seuzil after all! I’ll just be in the lobby with Jim. So check there first if you can’t find us when you get up.” After their small exchange Venus went to sleep. Sharleena walked herself out of the door and down the stairs to Jim, “odd girl isn’t she?”  
Jim replied, “well she’s only odd because she’s an Abovling, yep yep! Ya know, I heard the Abovlings look weird. The closest things we used to have to them were humans but look at us now…”  
“Yeah dumb king Filigree turned us into animals because that’s what he thought of us after he went mad… I wish he’d get over whatever he’s going through.” she quieted down afterwards. Jimmy understood that Sharleena and Filigree had something going on for a while that neither would talk about publicly. During their time in the castle, Jimmy would have chatting and jam sessions with Filigree wherein they'd have conversations about Sharleena; he actually hooked Filigree up with her. Fili eventually replaced Jimmy with Sharleena and sent Jim on his way to the city jail as a fish. As for Sharleena, she seemed to fall for Filigree all too easily. He hypnotized her just to see if he could and to his delighted surprise he did! He'd take her out for tea, grant her kisses, and shower her with gifts. Eventually, he asked her to be one of his many wives. Sharleena, finally coming to, figured out that this isn't what she wanted, immediately rejected him and ran away. Out of humility and anger, Filigree set out on horseback to find her. After months of hiding, he ratted her out and changed her into a camel. She ran away after the incident and went into hiding during the year long war. She couldn’t ever look at him again or else she’d feel her heart break into pieces. Before the war, she met Jimmy once more and tried to band with him to overthrow Filigree. It sadly ended in mild victory as Filigree captured the rest of the animalized people. Filigree felt only a mild disappointment after she tried to overthrow him. Hypnotizing her and changing her into an animal was only the beginning of his descent into mad rage and passion… 

While stuck in her sleepy state, a vision appeared. A mirror pool uncovered itself amongst the starry shadows of Venus’ dreamscape. Within the pool was a hoodless and shirtless Filigree, cleaning himself using all sorts of floating bowls and pots. He turned around and noticed Venus, “ah you’re here early! Came to see the show haven’t you? Am I cute?”  
“AHH! Oh my gosh, you. What is wrong with you Filigree? What have you done to my sweetheart?” she closed her eyes and ran up to him before she was caught by flying chains which restrained her desperate punches. He laughed a little before letting out a sigh, “Venus, don’t you remember?”  
“Remember what? Just tell me where you’ve put him!”  
“Once was a lady of white roses, sad upon her masquerade…” he paused in hopes she’d continue but ended up doing so himself, “but tumbled thorns surround her, in pools of black she wade. ‘O heavens my love come rescue me, for it’s I who should be saved’. And even though her beauty’s saved, the thorny blackness remains… Now do you recall it?”  
Venus stood for a moment and recalled her poor years wasted being single and looked up at Filigree, stupored, “yes, I do. How are you alive? How is anyone here alive?”  
“They’re alive because of you! You created all of us and I just tweaked them, including myself… that’s all.” He put on the clothes hanging at the side of the mirror pool and unlatched Venus from her chains. She dropped immediately to the floor and looked up at the looming sight of King Filigree, “I’ll see you soon my little rabbit, you better come with good news…” he smiled then left and Venus woke up on the floor in a cold sweat. Jimmy ran in quickly, “VENUS! VENUS! Are you hurt that you are?”  
She shot up, “I need to talk to you! It’s about Filigree!”

Filigree woke back up from his slumber in a chipper mood. Squee noticed it right away from her lil perch on his chair, “g-good morning, my king. How was your rest?”  
He stretched out, opened his eyes and looked over, “My rest sucked, I had a dream about Venus, however I do believe I’m starting to get to her. It’s good! Things are going good!”  
Squee was very confused about this whole Venus ordeal. She didn’t even know who Venus was aside from Circ and Fili’s talks. But in the end she could never ask Filigree anything. She’d rather sit in ignorance than find out a truth that’s too much for her. “Oh well I suppose that’s good. I’m not sure who Venus is th-”  
He interrupted her like an excited young boy, “oh she’s only the sweetest fruit earth could ever offer! She’s a beauty only imaginary and dreamy eyes can see and she’s almost mine I can feel it!”  
Silence followed shortly after and then in a commanding tone Filigree gave Squee her orders for the day, “I want you to check on the boy. Come back to me and let me know if anything’s changed. Give him his breakfast and make sure he’s coming along into one fine bird, understand?”  
She gave him a nod, “yes, sir. Always, sir.”  
“Good. Now then bring Circ in here! I have another job for her…” and with that Squee went to her duties. The moment Squee walked into the royal kitchen, Suzy Angle (mostly known as Angie) jumped on her and immediately asked her all kinds of questions. How was her nap? Was Filigree as romantic as she imagined? She hoped he’d let her sit on the throne once in a while. In fact, did she get to sit on his throne? Squee ignored all of Angie’s questions and just asked her to go get Circ and bring her to Fili. With that, Squee walked her ways down towards the dungeons. People who were stuck in the brunt of Filigree’s anger spree years ago were taken down here. Many of them were even close friends of his. A few managed to escape however and it’s those few that the Suzy’s are always after. “Feeding time, Mr. Perin!”  
A black and white figure turned himself around, “please just call me Mars! Squee, I know you’re a good person! Thank goodness he brought you down here today. I-I have a question for you!”  
“Oh I don’t like being asked questions. I’m sorry…” she was about to leave  
“Wait! I can tell you who Venus is, if that’s something you’d like to know! And, well maybe, why he’s after her!”  
She turned around trying to resist her urge to know the truth, “m… Maybe I would like to know her… Tell me who she is…”

Sharleena stood up in disbelief, “you’re telling me that that man up there came to you in a dream and talked to you as if he liked you?”  
Venus was a little embarrassed. She didn’t know how to feel about herself. She still wanted to find her boyfriend and bring him back home but there was something off about Filigree that she just couldn’t shake away. It felt like an obsession pouring in and she did everything in her power to stop it. Eventually she would think of Mars and that obsession would roll away. Sharleena sat back down beside her and sighed, “listen, we all have had a vision of his in our eyes. I know I used to have a lot of em. He’s handsome and he’s nice once you get to know him, but he gets jealous and rude. I know! You don’t wanna mess with Filigree, darling.”  
Venus sat in confusion, “but I don’t like Filigree or at least I don’t think I have? Is this mind control? Does he have some kind of power over me?”  
Jimmy cut in, “maybe Terry… He might be able to help you with that one. Filigree was the closest with him; knew him like a son, that he did. Terry doesn’t really hang around him anymore but he still might help!”  
Venus stood up and took a minute to look outside. All of the nasty creatures and people of Moneylann walked in stupors around the other cabins; one person was flung out of the window of a brothel. She turned around to face the two animals, who seemed to be more human than she thought. “Okay, bring me to Terry…”


	5. Someone Said "They" Made Some Noise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Venus and the crew visit Turtle Terry, an awkward magician, and ask him for some form of direction. However, before they're able to get an answer out of him he scares Venus off. An altercation between Venus and the Suzys goes down, to which Filigree gains a piece of Venus and goes down beneath the castle for some unknown reason. What could the king be hiding?

Turtle Terry lived in between Filigree’s palace and the outskrits. He laid in hiding for years from the Suzys shortly after Filigree initiated war. At one time, he was Filigree’s closest court member. He knew Filigree inside and out; understood why he would do the things he did. He even understood why Filigree was angry at his creator, however he believed that jealousy was not an adequate enough reason to warrant an era full of injustice and hate. Filigree taught him everything he knew and would often try to bond with him like a father would his own son. Terry saw Fili much the same, like a father figure of sorts. However, he was always curious as to why Filigree even had wives to begin with if he was always so in love with Venus, and eventually Sharleena. Why, Filigree didn’t even have any room to be jealous! He had all these ladies to himself. He always suspected that it was due to some chronic issue he had, a fear of being alone. Yet again it was something Terry understood, but not one he could ever figure out. Eventually, the year long war waged on and all of the dirt on Fili started to pour in. In a way, Terry couldn't see Filigree the same way again and so, he turned on him. Filigree reluctantly turned him into a turtle and that was that. Sharleena and Jim broke him out afterwards and it was just flashes of heat and anxiety from then on. The three odd humanoids knocked on his door. “Terry! It’s Jim and Sharleena, we came with someone who wants to talk to you…” Sharleena said bluntly. Terry slowly opened the door, “oh hey Wood. Jim. Who’s…”  
Terry stared at the rabbit a bit. He knew who she was as if she fell out of the sky like an angel. Blushed cheeks, hair that followed the flow of her dress, and a small smile that, though small, could light the sky at night… Venus. That was her name and everyone knew her. “I know why you’re here Venus… You shouldn’t be here.” he turned around and walked back into his house.  
“What?” Venus asked, “I’m here because-”  
“Because your boyfriend got kidnapped and you wanna rescue him. I know… “ he sighed, “you can’t get to him this way. He’s in Filigree’s castle, most likely held underneath the Suzy’s quarters. You have to confront Filigree.”  
Jimmy and Sharleena cut in, “Wait! Filigree keeps haunting her.”  
“What if he’ll hypnotize her?”  
Terry looked at both of them, “there’s nothing she can do. We’ll have to rescue her then…”  
He continued, “Nonetheless, I can’t have you here! He will know where you are! If he’s turned you into… that… He will always know where you are! Go, run, get out of here before it’s too late!”  
Venus began to have a panic attack and with that she ran out the door. Jim and Sharleena turned around and screamed for her to wait, but she kept running. “GREAT! Now look what ya did Terry!” Sharleena gave Terry a frustrated look  
“Was it something I said? I just gave her advice…”

Venus ran for what seemed like hours. Fog enveloped all around her. It was as thick as milk and all she could see in front of her was a great bright grey. Suddenly she could hear voices, "S-S-STAY BACK! GET AWAY!" she screamed but the voices still seemed to whisper. They sounded all too familiar and they started to gather like a cluster. She gasped, "Suzys!"  
While Venus was lost in the fog, Sharleena, Jim, and Terry ran in to try and find her. "Terry you stupid kid, why'd you have to go on and tell her that!?"  
"Well she ought to know the truth shouldn't she Sharleena!? Or should I say GROUPIE?!"  
"GROUPIE!? HOW AM I A GROUPIE? IF ANYTHING THOSE OTHER LADIES WERE GROUPIES!"  
Jim cut into their argument, "What's so wrong with the other ladies!? And what does this have to do with Venus hmm?"  
He continued, "Sharlie, I shouldn't have introduced you to Filigree. I shouldn't have caused a stir when he paid more attention to you. And Terry, even though I never got to know you in the castle, I'm sorry Filigree ever caused you any trauma… Now can we please get back to finding-"  
They all three heard a loud scream and cackling in the distance, "VENUS!"  
They ran towards the noise and found Venus lying on the ground, shaking and crying; big psychedelic eyes wide open. They all three bent down and hugged her, witnessing the small shimmers of gold and sparkled fabric worn by the Suzys running off in the distance. "We're taking her back home, Terry. She's not going to Filigree's tonight…"  
"Okay, I'll find her a spot to lay…" then, they trudged their way back.

The Suzys celebrated Angie's accomplishment by dancing for her and the king. Circ didn't understand why they did their celebratory dance for something as menial as a snatched, torn patch of fabric. She felt as though she was growing old, her views on this whole "wife" thing were dwindling. Pointless dances, the constant ups and downs, nothing ever seemed right and the whole time she felt as though Filigree was hiding something. In the meantime, Filigree played with the piece of fabric. He waved it around and sniffed it, just to see if it still held Venus' angelic aroma. Angie saw this out of the corner of her eye, "whatcha doing, my king?"  
He quickly smacked the sheet down on his thigh, "n-nothing! Nothing at all my sweet Suzy Angle!" He curled his long fingers under her chin and stroked her face,  
"Wonderful job at snagging this lil scrap, by the way. Might I ask what scrap this is?"  
"Oh certainly my king! It's a chunk of her skirt!" Angie said with great pride. His face turned a blushy red, "I'll...uhm… I'll be right back. Enjoy the dancing Angie." and with that he ran off his throne and deep into the caves below his castle. Circ took notice of this and snuck behind him, in hopes to catch something interesting while the rest of the Suzys continued to celebrate…

"Venus, I'm sorry, I thought you'd understand! I tend to be a little harsh with first impressions haha!" Terry nervously laughed. There was a large, awkward silence from all three of them. Especially from Sharleena, who scolded Terry and was beyond done with this entire escapade. "Terry, she's still very obviously shaken by the event as a whole. Let's give her some rest and be done for the night-" Jim said but was interrupted by one word; a small no that came out of Venus' lips.  
"I'd like to know more about you, Terry. What's got into Filigree?" Venus calmly replied to Terry.  
"I can't quite say what all has gotten into him. He became way more powerful when I met him. His hair became a cloud of power, I remember when it was slick, sheen, and long; way longer than now. He used to play guitar and now all he does is stare at it…"  
Terry paused a bit, "I think he's forgotten who he was. But I digress. I was introduced into his court by accident. They wanted a magician with drumming skills and I was the only one in the entire land. I was inspired by him at first; could say he was my hero. Time went on however and when the year long war waged I turned against him." Terry looked down at the ground sadly and cried a little. Eventually he continued, "I remember his last words to me. 'I'm so sorry, boy. Forgive me for what I'm doing to you.' Then I became this thing! Well,” he sniffed, “anyways, Filigree taught me most of his tricks, including his hypnosis trick that he used on Sharlie and most of the ladies in the castle. I never was able to get the hang of it so I suppose there's something more going on there; something we can't comprehend yet…"

Filigree's cape flung high in the air as he made his way down the steps to the caves of his castle. He had the piece of fabric from Venus' skirt wound tight to his hand as if he thought it would fly off. He then quickly opened a small box of matches he stole from Aboveworld and lit one off. Opening the cave door, Filigree entered inside with the intent of waking up the dragon that laid there. And with one flick, he lit up the dragon and it awoke; it's eyes, a bleeding white; it's skin, a devilish blue; scales that parted between its eyes began to glow with magical, psychedelic images and colors. It then let out a toxin-like smoke that made Filigree high. Circ watched in silent anger as she followed, that's what's been controlling him! The dragon looked down and spoke, "Filigree, my only friend; of which whose name brings fragile gold to all. You seek the whereabouts of the love of your life, Venus Creamcheese Seuzil, and her three friends Jimmy, Sharleena, and Terry. These three are a danger to you, as they have been all your life. Let's talk this out, my king…"  
The dragon's movement was like that of water, it's fluidity couldn't be matched and it's hands looked just as worn and old as Filigree's. The dragon, like Filigree, never aged. The only age you'd ever see from them was within their hands and their eyes. Filigree, after inhaling the smoke the dragon emanated, responded, "oh metal guru! You bring me great joy and pleasure, I wish of you to bring my ex lover to me. I've done you a service and kidnapped her boyfriend who I'm planning to terminate. I've also acquired a patch of her skirt, touched by the magic of her soft skin…" he then handed the patch to the dragon, who examined it with glowing eyes. Circ watched in shock. She knew that he wanted to get Venus' boyfriend out of the way so he could finally be with Venus, but she didn't think that he'd do anything with him (let alone kill him). She had enough info to leave him. So she quietly made her way up from the caves and to the dungeon. The dragon continued to look at the scrap, "Oh dear, it seems you've gone too far Filigree…'you remember who you once were,' don't you Filigree? I suggest you do so before she arrives… She doesn't remember you the same way. No not at all; not at all..."  
"Oh don't give me that chatter, old man. Your gibberish drives me insane. I don't wanna know of my talents from before, I believe she wants more in a man; someone like me! I've got all the qualities she liked and more. I mean," he laughed nervously, "just look at my hair; look how I'm built, my height, my voice! I'm everything she ever wanted."  
The dragon looked coldly at him with blinding headlights for eyes, "yes, my king, but so is Mars. She knows about us. There is more to her than you think, my lord. She's not shallow nor is she stupid. However she knows you're just as clever. Her and her friends are desperate to get to you; tear you to shreds! You have to separate them and get inside her head. Then they shall hold no quarter…"  
The dragon made a magical quarter appear in front of Filigree and then turned it into an elusive wand. He filled it with his aura and smoke, "use this when you believe she's all alone!..."


	6. The Caper of Count Filigree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circ thinks up a plan to break out Mars with the help of the animal trio, however during the process Filigree finds out where Venus is and tries to capture her. Will he get away with it or will he succeed in finally catching Venus for his own deeds?

Circ ran as quietly and quickly as possible up to the dungeons where Mars was. His feathered body shivered as she popped up beside his prison gate, "please don't hurt me today! I didn't do anything wrong!"  
"Oh shut up, I'm not even doing anything! Now listen to me and listen closely. As a Suzy, I know where your girlfriend is. But you're not gonna see her ever again if she gets here. The king plans on killing you at some point. I will set you free and will make plans for you to stay at the house of an old consort of Filigree, his name is Terry."  
Mars squinched up. He couldn't believe he was gonna die over simply just being a good boyfriend. All of this info that Circ told him just made him angrier. He hated Filigree. He hated his smug face, his proud stance, and his 12 wives who've all treated him differently. He was, however, glad and relieved that Circ decided to set him free in order to find his girlfriend again. "Okay so, when is all of this happening?"  
"Tonight, once Filigree falls asleep. I will run out to Terry's. I'll tear down my veil and I will make sure Venus is safe. Squee knows you yes? I'll make her the guard for tonight, Angie is still being celebrated so she will distract the king if he wakes up. I'll run you out through those bars in the back," she pointed to the window behind him, "that'll be your escape!"  
Circ carefully heard Filigree's footsteps up the stairs. She made a signal for Mars to shush and tiptoed back into the party on the main floor. Filigree, still in his dosed out high, looked into the dark dungeons, looked forward, and moved away…

Everyone fell asleep in Terry's home. Venus was asleep on the couch, Jim asleep in one of his chairs, and Sharleena chose to sleep in one of his rooms. As for Terry, he stayed up and played watch. He knew one of the Suzys were on their way and that they meant no harm. But just in case, he kept a knife in his back pocket. Circ ran quietly in the night, unmasked and in flight. She found Terry's house and crouched by his window. She gave him two visual cues and guided him to head outside. Quietly, he opened the door and listened to what the woman had to say. Venus, still dazed, kicked and jilted in her sleep…

Venus was in a rose painted place. Filigree sat in front of her, reciting old poetry he would write in her honor.   
“a bullet she was and that bullet is mine,   
not ever is there more a creature divine   
the sole thought of your presence leaves me in a hole,   
you’re not a thing I possess, you're something I stole."  
She walked closer to the king as he shot up, "Are you finally giving up!? Or are you hung up?"  
"Ugh what do you mean, be clear with me!"  
"But I'm not glass my love, nor am I a ghost sooo, sorry can't do that!" He had the biggest smirk on his face that seemed to stretch over his cheeks like a cheshire. A moment of silence passed as he looked away from her, "remember when you used to run in these fields with me and we'd look up at the clouds? Or that one time I played a lil song for you, something that you heard from Aboveworld!?" He held her hands gently with enthusiasm as he looked back at her and grinned.  
"I remember, but I moved on since then," she moved her hands away and walked past him, "I...ugh, I've grown up since then. I'm just not a young girl anymore!"  
Filigree's spirit was shot, "I guess I know my answer now…"  
"What do you mean?"  
"You're still hung up…"

Terry looked at Circ, "l-listen, I dunno if that'll work. Sharleena is in there and-uhh and she's not gonna want to work with me if she uhm knows Venus' boyfriend will be staying in another room."  
Circ looked at Terry with the biggest stink in her eyes, "I want Filigree to struggle. This is the only time he's ever felt bad and I want him to feel worse. Venus knows I've been struggling enough. We have to get them out of here and away from here! So come on! Let's go get him!"  
Terry had a terrible feeling in his gut. Irregardless of such, he ran up to Sharleena and asked her to guard the house while he went and "investigated" the rest of the property thoroughly. She reluctantly agreed and tried to shake awake. Terry thanked her and walked with Circ towards the outside of the dungeons…

Filigree woke up after his meeting with Venus. He slowly sat up in his chair and stood, "Angie, I want you to watch over my seat… I'll be right back, I'm just going out and doing my job."  
Angie remembered what Circ had planned and stumbled on her words, "w-wait! You haven't really given me anything besides that celebration dance for getting you that scrap! Maybe I could get a reward, m-my king?"  
Filigree turned around and looked at her with cold blind eyes, thought for a moment, and smiled, "well I suppose I could give you something for your escapade. Maybe a tusk or a kiss?" He then heard a sound like bending metal and continued, "a kiss will have to do for now." He quickly spun Angie around, kissed her, stroked her cheek, and left towards the dungeons. He opened the dungeon doors with force and looked inside, "WHAT SHENANIGANS ARE GOING ON IN HERE?!" After he yelled, it was quiet. The silence seemed to anger him even more. He stormed back up the stairs and smiled at Angie, "you wouldn't happen to know what's going on would you my sweet Suzy Angle?"  
She walked back a little, "n-n-no! I'm not sure what you're talking about my king?" Her bliss and cheer was gone, she'd never seen him this angry. He gently grabbed her by the arms and looked her in the eyes, "you better be telling me the truth and if you aren't I will find out myself…"  
She was shaking, "I th-th-think Suzy Circle was trying to capture Turtle Terry in the outskrits. B-bb-but I'm unsure…"  
His eyes lowered and a smile sprouted across his face as he hugged her, "good girl, Angie! You're a lot more compliant than the rest of them. See all it took was a lil talking that's all," he kissed her, "I'll be sure to give you a lil tusk tonight." Then he left out into the outskrits to separate Venus' crew. After he left, Angie let out an 'oh dear' under her breath…

Terry didn't come home that night, instead he spent the rest of the night finding a way to get Mars in safe spots away from the castle and eventually to his home. Circ however had to head back to the castle for her daily duties. Sharleena stood guard by the door and waited for Terry to come back. As she waited she heard faint whispers in the distance, "Terry?!" No response. She yelled his name again, still no response. In a fit of anger she went inside, grabbed Jim up, made him watch the post and then left. After Sharleena left for a good number of time, Jim and Venus heard a loud noise out in the distance. Venus shot up from her sleep and ran out the door. "What was that!? Mars? Was that Mars?!" She then ran her way into the forested abyss around the house. Jim shot up from his post, “Venus? VENUS! WAIT! You can’t go that way!” he tried to catch her and run after her, but she was already ahead at that point. He looked back at the house one more time and decided to book it after her.

Venus ran for hours. The trees became sinister to her as she ran further and further. The once calm and peaceful morning clouds twisted into a pair of demanding, shining eyes, “and where are you going, Venus?”  
She turned around and the eyes were gone! She swore she heard Filigree behind her and nowhere. He was nowhere! She turned forward again and saw him standing there, hood down, his tumbling black hair dancing in the wind. He looked at her with a calm expression on his face and opened up his arms with a welcoming gesture, “come here, Venus… Come here.”  
“Where’s Mars? Where is he?”  
“There’s no need for him here, babe. I’m here!”  
“Ugh I don’t want you! I’m not your babe!...”  
Silence caved over them as the wind continued to blow. He let out a sigh, looked directly in her eyes and moved closer, “you created me. If I recall you wished for me. ‘Make him tall, a lil lanky with hair as black as night’…”  
“N-no, you can’t be… I put you away! I forgot about you! I didn’t think you’d actually come to life?”  
“OH and you suppose that wish all those long horrid nights ago was for someone else?!” He became annoyed  
“Yes! Someone real! Someone who would make me feel alive and free; absolutely free.”  
“But I can be real! You’ve gotta believe me! I can make you just as free, Venus… ” he lightly grabbed her arms and sang to her, “only if you want to be.” She was hypnotized by him at some point. She felt dazed and loopy as he continued to dance and sing with her. He knew what he was doing, he was going to finally capture her and take her with him. He spun her around and dipped her, “Just relax and tell me how you feel… How you really feel-”  
“STOP!” called a weird animal person, “PUT HER DOWN!!!”  
Venus looked over at what would almost be the last time she’d ever see them and weakly spoke, “Jim?”  
“What are you doing here? My Suzy’s captured you ages ago!”  
“You don’t wanna see what I can do Filigree!” Jim shouted  
“Ugh! Enough!” and with a wave of his cape, Filigree and Venus disappeared. Jim was in shock as Sharleena finally crested the hill. “Oh no! Did he take her?!” Sharleena exclaimed at him. Both of them stood in silence…


	7. Through Blind Light, I'll Keep my Rays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Filigree has successfully captured Venus, but will he be able to keep her for long? She's expected to have dinner with him and go out for a dance, but in the back of her mind she's just wishing to find a way out. The dinner doesn't go quite as planned and the Suzys are ripe and ready to hear any argument in their proximity. Will Filigree win over Venus's heart? Or will Venus finally leave the castle once and for all?

Venus woke up in a place she was never in before. Romantic tapestries filled the room; curtains hung over the bed she was in; incense burned slowly off close to the door. She rubbed her eyes and noticed Filigree sitting in a chair beside the bed supposedly waiting on her to wake up. “W-where am I? Have you been watching me sleep?”  
He giggled, “not for too long, but I have been watching, yes. You’re in one of my personal living quarters. This one I’ve tried to keep particularly clean.”  
“Why?”  
“Well… It’s for you, it’s your room.”  
Venus was flattered but very uncomfortable at the same time. This place felt too stuffy and the air even seemed to make her feel claustrophobic. And Filigree? He made her feel even more uncomfortable, like that of running into a foggy forest in the middle of the day; he was a handsome man, but his intentions were all mixed up. Well that and she already has a boyfriend who he captured. He looked around the room and then back at her and noticed her uncomfort, “would you like to stay in a different room? We have quite a few of them here.”  
She wanted to ask for her boyfriend again but she knew it was futile, “fine, do you have a less stuffy room? This one’s a little cluttered.”  
“Of course, blue or purple?”  
“Purple.”  
Filigree stood up with an odd expression, “I thought you liked the color blue?”  
She got out of bed and looked back at him, “purple comforts me. Blue is just a favorite. Doesn’t necessarily mean that I need a blue room.”  
He looked back at Venus with an upset kind of look. It felt as though the purple comment not only applied to the room but to him. Still though he escorted her to her new room. He cleared his throat, “make yourself at home, Venus! The ladies will be here to hand you your wears for the night. You are expected to dance and have dinner with me, but not in that order, and any objections to do so will cause you to be locked in this very room. Am I clear, dear?”  
Venus nodded and walked into her new room. Everything was various shades of deep purple. This time candles were lit, the bed too had a canopy over it but in a tasteful manner, and gold coins seemed to accent the curtains like skirts. This was a dancer’s room. She turned around and looked up to face Filigree, “I guess I’ll see you tonight.”  
He bent down as if he were looming over her “Yes, I will see you tonight. Don’t make me have to drag you out.” and with that he closed the door.

The Suzys quickly fitted Venus in an elegant jumpsuit. Coins and ribbons decorated every bit of it. To Venus, the outfit felt very revealing and uncomfortable. She was about to inquire to one of the many women in the room when a voice boomed across it, “the king doesn’t like questions and neither do we! Keep your clothes on, we don’t have another pair…” it was Circ. Unlike the other Suzys, who were dramatic and talkative, Circ was reserved. Even the other Suzys hated her because she’d always spend the most time with Filigree. She left the room as all of the others started to mumble about her. Suzy Octagon mentioned, “I remember seeing her run out and cry in the gardens after a fight erupted during her time with him!”  
Another Suzy questioned, “do you think he abuses her?”  
“No but I do think he’s caught up to her trouble.”  
Venus decided to pitch in, “what if he just doesn’t like her?”  
“Well he has to like her! We’re his wives!”  
Venus kinda squinched in disgust, “well then he can’t like all of you… what does that make me?”  
Suzy Square barged in the room, “Dinner is ready, the king is… “ she paused and looked at Venus for an extended amount of time. All the Suzys, besides Squee, pranced out of the room and off to their various quarters for Dinner. Squee looked at the woman, she seemed familiar to her and then she knew. She closed the door behind her and whispered to her, “listen to me, I know where your boyfriend is!”  
Venus gasped, “please take me to him! I can’t ever be around Filigree again!”  
“I can’t take you to him right now, but I can sneak you out after your time tonight. I’ll meet you back here once everyone has rested. We'll have to talk to Circ for a moment to get to him, but I promise we can get you to him. Now then, I must escort you to the dining hall.”

The dining hall was enormous. Everything was decorated in portraits of him, candles, gold, and silk tapestries. The table they dined on was long, Venus sat at the far left end of it. King Filigree came out from up above down on a nonexistent staircase, all made by the power of his own magic, in a fancy marching jacket with a matching dark red velvet cape that draped to the floor. He too was decorated in gold and sat at the opposite end from where Venus was. “Welcome to my humble abode…”  
Venus looked around, “it’s anything, but humble…”  
He rolled his eyes and drank his water, “Well it’s my abode and you should praise it irregardless.”  
She tried to get another word in and he interrupted her, “ah ah ah! You have no say in how my castle looks, only I do! I am the king after all.”  
She put her hand down, which she didn’t realize was in the air. Filigree talked to her for hours about the castle and citizens of Moneylann. None of the citizens can eat the food of Aboveworld. They’ve never tasted the delicacies that their creator loved; Shirley Temples, Shrimp of any kind, Pork Chops. All except for Filigree. Since Filigree was a wish made on a desperate night full of storms, he was made so that he could come to life at some point and court Venus. Because of this he had to learn how to eat real foods instead of weird foods like, tootho and walmut. And so they sat at the long dinner table eating most of Venus’ favorite foods… Well Venus didn’t really eat. She only took bites here and there and drank her Shirley Temple. None of it tasted like the warm and cozy foods that Mars would make for them at home. “So, Filigree… Why do you want me? I know it’s more than just recreating my worlds. You seem to really have a taste for me even though I forgot about you years ago…”  
He dropped his glass, “Pardon me?” The Suzys around them, all except Circ, flooded out of their quarters to see what had caused his slight distress.  
“Oh what is a man!? A miserable little pile of loose papers. Listen, Venus, you created me because you were lonely and now that I am alive you don’t want me. You should know why! What I wanna know is why you made me in the first place if you were just going to abandon me?”  
Venus felt awkward, “I made you from a selfish wish, a desire I wanted so much. I received my wish when I knew I was ready and I’ve kept him with me for a long time… I didn’t mean to abandon you, it just happened. I-I don’t even think I abandoned you either. The memory is so fuzzy...”  
Filigree stood up and snapped the table away. He walked towards her, “I’m sorry for my harsh words… May we have a dance, just for this one night?”  
Her eyes locked with his. She could see a hurt man on the inside that couldn’t be free. She'd feel bad for him if he didn't kidnap her boyfriend. Reluctantly she hung her head low and let out a hand, "sure…"  
Eagerly he took her hand and spun her around, "What was that sweetheart? Say it louder for the people in the back!"  
Venus could hear his heartbeat, heck she could hear her own it was beating so loud. "Fine! I will dance with you!"  
Filigree stretched an evil smirk across his face and began to dance with her. He zapped his staircase away and formed a spectral band that played music, some kind of psychedelic party jazz. He spun and dipped her, "bet you didn't think I could do that. I have many, many other talents to show you." Her eyes widened as he tried to kiss her, instead she pushed them both up and spun him back. He looked surprisingly shocked at her and she replied awkwardly, "I-I have a few tricks too heheh!"  
He looked at her with a grin, "we'll come on, silly girl! LET'S DANCE!" Then picked her up and magically danced with her in the air. He felt like he was winning and charming her more and more. Her face glowed oddly but it glowed nonetheless. She felt so awkward and she wanted to leave so badly. Where was Mars when she needed him?...


	8. And Now He Rolls Again...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're nearing the beginning of the end. Venus is still trapped in Filigree's castle and is looking for a way out. All the while, Mars and the 3 animals are looking to find ways of infiltrating the castle to rescue Venus with the help of on sneaky Suzy. Will Venus finally escape? Will Mars finally rescue her? Or will it all be too late?

Mars sat in Terry's cottage in utter anger, "Circ told me you guys would have her. I don't know what kind of bullshit all of this is, but I really don't wanna be pushed right now. Tell me what happened…"  
Terry wouldn't talk, and every time he'd try to talk around it, Mars would cut him off. The thing about Mars that was different from Filigree was that Mars didn't play around, he was a real leader. He knew how to turn conversations to the point quickly. Sharleena wouldn't talk either, namely cause of her stubbornness. As for Jim, he fessed up, "I'm sure you know already but Filigree has the ability to teleport, shapeshift, and well hypnotize. Your partner, is it alright if I call her your partner? Well, she wandered into the woods thinking she'd find you and she ended up getting hypnotized and captured."  
Mars' eyes widened as he hung his head low, "she was trying to find me…"  
They noticed that he started crying as he continued, "you three have to take me to her now! She could get hurt by that monster!"  
Sharleena snapped back in place, she was there before. The broken heart, the desperation, the tears. She understood his pain. "Listen, we don't have much time. We'll get you back to her. Terry, you can see a possible future right?"  
Terry pensively replied, "well sure but it's a buncha wavy paths, ya know? The future isn't one solid thing, it can like change depe-"  
"Yeah yeah, just look in the future. What's gonna happen?"  
Terry sighed and closed his eyes. He held his flippers up and looked around, "oh no…"  
Mars got up out of his seat, "oh what is it this time?"  
Terry opened his eyes and looked, "we've gotta go to her quick!"  
Jim responded this time, "what happened? Er what's going to happen what that is?"  
"Venus is going to be wed to him in two days! And something worse will happen afterwards, I'm not so sure what!"  
They all took action immediately and darted out of the door, Sharleena took command, "I'll grab my old armor. Jim, Terry, you should do the same. Mars, Jim can make you some metal plates! He's a good handy-man. Be safe, I'll be back! She's not getting married to him anytime soon…"

Squee walked into Venus' room after their dinner night ended. "Hey Venus! It's me, Squee!"  
Venus rubbed her tired eyes and looked at Squee, "hey! Is it time to go see my love?"  
"No not yet! The king isn't asleep. He'd be very angry with us if we snuck out in front of him… How was your dinner?"  
"Ugh, terrible. He argued with me and then he tried to kiss me! I bet his lips are way too slimy…"  
Squee giggled, "they are. You tend to get used to em though. Some girls like that. I could never see past it."  
"Why don't you tell him then?"  
"Well ya know I ju-just couldn't tell him. I can't be honest with him about everything."  
Venus shrugged, "but you're his wife, you should be honest with him. I'm always honest with Mars!"  
"I can't! I'd rather be an accepting wife. Ya know, a yes woman! Everyone else defies him anyways. He needs a lady who complies to his demands…" she frowned. Venus could tell this wasn't the life Squee wanted to live. She could even tell she wasn't attracted to him either. "Who did you want to be before he got to you?"  
"I wanted to be a flower girl, ya know, for weddings!"  
"Who do you want to be now?"  
She sat down and thought, "I just wanna be free; outta the harem. I'd love to go out with someone with a nice heart. Anyone ya know?"  
Filigree's steps neared closer as Squee started to panic. She tried to find a place for Venus and her to escape when he opened the door, "GIRLS! JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU TWO ARE DOING?!"  
Squee cowered underneath him as he picked her up by the arms, "n-nothing sir, just a bit of a midnight chat."  
His eyes glowed as he looked directly at Venus, "you know the truth. Tell me the truth, baby! Right now…"  
Her heart began to race and she couldn't look away, his grip grew tighter around Squee's arms. He was hurting her. Venus couldn't take it, "we were going to escape and meet my friends again…"  
He dropped her and looked at her, "you're forbidden from coming into this room again. Go back to your quarters, I will deal with you later… You've disappointed me greatly, Squee."  
She began to cry and ran out of the room holding her upper arms. Filigree glanced, looked back at Venus with glazed eyes, and began to play with her hair, "oh Venus, why did you have to go and do that? You've ruined our night, after it went soo...well."  
His hands embraced her face uncomfortably as he looked at her directly in the eyes, "for that I'm gonna have to punish you! But your punishment won't arise right away. I'm a decent man… In three days you will be punished right after our engagement-"  
Her eyes enlarged as she finally spoke, "ENGAGEMENT!? I'm not getting married to you! You hurt, Squee; hurt her! And you've been known to abuse Circ, how could you?"  
He walked away and retorted, "Well, they hurt my feelings, they deserved it! Squee betrayed my trust, and Circ angered me for many personal reasons. Now that I think about it, I oughta just sit in here and watch you. You're not bad enough to be punished." He then slumped down into a chair and let out an annoyed sigh  
Venus looked at him sad and confused, "you've turned into a monster without me even knowing it… Why could I have ever loved a man like you?" Shyly, she layed back down in her bed and looked out of the lofty window placed right in front of her. Filigree glanced back over, "and you haven't changed one bit. Still the same lovely little girl I met 8 years ago…"

Mars put on the freshly made armor that Jim made for him, "this is a nice fit Jimmy! I love the etchings on the front!"  
Jim grinned and decided to give detail on what the etchings mean, "yes yes! Each etching is a call back to your love for Venus and her love for you!"  
The etchings detailed a single eye looking down at a rabbit holding an olive branch underneath a crow; shielding it's presumed lover from the rays the eye casts. The rest of the armor was etched with other Moneylann symbols such as a haloed circle, a horn, and a coin. Smaller more intricate pictures detailed the arm and leg plates; illustrating the year-long war between Filigree and his people. The war in it’s full story was caused after Venus found love with Mars. In his fury, he tried to banish those who still believed in Venus and saw her as their goddess. Anyone who opposed him were forced to turn into animals and were slaughtered by not only the hands of his wives but Filigree himself. He rode on violent horseback and slashed and cut in anger; both for and against Venus. Blood was on his hands whether he believed it or not. As for the armor itself, it was a stunning representation of Mars’ love for Venus. In all honesty, as the days went on he felt as though she didn't love him anymore. Like she faded into the distant echoes of the noisy land he was in. But this armor reaffirmed their love for each other and he was gonna fight for her with every bone in his now feathered body. Sharleena returned and they all were on their way back to the castle to reclaim the throne, return Venus and Mars back home, and return the land back to peace and harmony…

Venus sat by her window, looking out longingly at the gardens that surrounded the castle grounds. Each petal on each little rose bush that inhabited the garden was grown delicately for her, even each little tree was made for her. Filigree dedicated mostly everything to her, but in doing so ended up making his mission completely selfish. She couldn't shake the feeling off, "I created a man to court me and that man is… ewugh!!!" She wondered why he became such a mess and remembered the days they'd roll around and have fun in the fields. She remembered his long wavy hair and his wonderful demeanor. Whatever happened to that? Filigree came back into her room, "today we walk in the gardens, my love! Why aren't you dressed for today? You can't go out in your sleep clothes…"  
Venus was so caught up in thought that she'd forgotten about her pajamas. She looked at him, "why are you being so nice all of a sudden; after what happened to Squee?"  
"You’re still on that bit? Listen, Squee needed to be punished for her actions and so I did so! There was no harm done by her," he sat down beside her, "look, baby, the point I'm trying to say is that I'm not all that bad." he managed to squeeze an odd smile out. Venus felt trapped, although Filigree would do anything for her she knew he'd treat her the same as all the other ladies. To him, he saw her as an objective; 'I need to have her as my next wife, my 13th wife'. "No," Venus uttered, "you're worse… So much worse."  
Filigree's eyes lit up, literally, as he stood up, "what do you mean, woman?! I've given you so much stuff! I've done all I could for you! You always push it away though, you push me away! Why don't you just tell me you love me?!"  
"I've told you countless times! I have a boyfriend!"  
"Well I was your lil boyfriend at one point," he waved a finger towards her, "and youuu never once protected me or made me aware of anything. I know you didn't think about me when that rat boy started flirting with you! But I was there, darling, I saw the whole thing."  
Venus was appalled, "Are you being real with me at all?"  
Filigree quipped in anger, "Considering I was made with only the slightest figment of your imagination I'd concur that I'm not real at all, but I digress! Go get changed, you're coming with me to the garden, meet me in the hall. I love you!" He walked out of the door and slammed it shut. Venus screamed back at him, "Oh yeah! Well maybe you oughta be a bit better at showing it!" To her delight, he grumbled loudly in frustration outside of her bedroom door. 

Circ snuck towards Filigree's throne while he was distracted for the purpose of finding the elusive wand. He paced aimlessly back and forth in front of Venus' door; occasionally listening in on her in case she tried to escape. Normally, Filigree keeps his wand on him at all times. It was the source of most of his power and what allows him to teleport, see the future, and hypnotize. Circ crested close to the top of his throne when she remembered, "damn! His wand can disappear and reappear. Gosh I hope it's not invisible!" She glanced over and noticed it glowing lightly on the seat of his throne. She snatched it away and immediately ran out to the Outskrits to meet with Terry and his crew. Terry and everyone were on the edge of their seats. The source of Filigree's powers were here and they could use it to their advantage! "Do ya think you can access it Terry?" Sharleena asked. "I dunno! I can try, I mean I did learn from him…" He focused his energy flow on the wand, making sure every last drop of his power could be harnessed by it. However this didn't work and the wand stung him and replied to him and only him 'I'm not a toy, I'm meant to be held by powerful creators…' Terry restated this to everyone else. Circ looked a little pissed, "so that means I have to go back in there and give it to someone else? Who am I gonna give it to?!"  
"Venus," Mars replied, "she was the one who created everyone, she can be the one to stop him too. Course not without our help, she'd have to fend off a lot of the Suzys no offense."  
"None taken. I guess it's a plan then! I'll give it to her, get her to do some deeds and he'll be doneso!" Circ took the wand back and eagerly made her way back up to the palace… 

Filigree escorted Venus out to the courtyards. He let the mid-day air sink in before he talked to her, "are you feeling a little better… now that you've gotten all of your frustrations out?"  
She sighed, "no, I'm not. I don't wanna be here. I don't belong here Filigree! Why can't you understand that?"  
Filigree closed his eyes, took in a slow deep breath and replied, "I missed you. I assumed that if I threw Mars out of your life you'd want me again. I can't stop because, well, I simply don't know when to do so! Mars escaped, I honestly don't know how, and you're still to be my wife. That's your life now, Venus, accept it! If I may ask again, why did you create me if you were just going to leave me? Why did you break your promises?"  
Venus could feel tears welling up but held them back as much as she could. A few moments passed and she spoke, "I fell in love with you and created you because you were fun, charming, and exotic. I tried to make you as pure as I could but you sucked yourself into the rock and roll lifestyle and it's filthy habits. You were the one who broke your promise years ago that'd you'd never ever trade me away for anyone else and look at you. You traded me away for EVERYONE else…," She paused, "I only left you because it was the healthier thing for me to do and because I was unhappy. So I stashed you away and fell in love with a man who really cares. That's why I'm with Mars…"  
Filigree rolled his eyes, "ugh fine then! Gosh you whine so much. If that's the only answer I'll get I'll apologize. I'm sorry for being mean! Trust in me though, I can make you happy again just give me a chance," He curled a finger under her chin and looked her in the eyes, "you're mine, Venus, and there's nothing you can do about it…"


	9. Wedding Vows and Changing Minds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end is here! Wedding bells are chiming in the distance and the sky is a bright blue, but there's something strange in the air. Something quite bad is about to happen.

Mars, Jimmy, Terry, and Sharleena crested their way towards the top of the hill that Filigree's castle sat on. They knew not all of the Suzys were in on Circ's plan so they remained as quiet as possible as they approached the intricate structure. Once they were close enough, Sharleena devised a plan, "Tomorrow is wedding day. Terry, you'll stick here with Mars. Keep an inner eye on the wedding and once they get past the vows give Mars the signal. Jimmy and I will ward off the Suzys-"  
Jim cut in, "but I wouldn't wanna hurt them."  
She groaned, "ugh I'll be the one hurting em, you'll just be uhhh herding them… Anyways, after we ward em off you should be ready to go. Tomorrow is the day!"  
"TOMORROW IS THE DAY!!!" Terry exclaimed loudly, blowing their cover. The Suzys that guarded the castle all turned and looked towards the yell, Filigree popped up out of his sleep for a moment, and Venus kept one eye open. "Oh…. Fuck…"

Filigree rolled out of his chair and made his ways towards Venus' room, she was asleep to his reassurance and she seemed at peace. He thought to himself "maybe she's come to terms with being with me. Gosh what am I thinking. Now that I'm so close to what I'm about to have, I'm gaining second thoughts."  
He closed her door and walked towards the grand hall again, "I… I guess I am a monster in some ways. But then again… Us monsters became this way because of something else. Oh who am I kidding, I just need some sleep." And then he climbed in his chair and drifted off to sleep. Once he passed out completely, Circ slithered her way into Venus' room and woke her up, "listen, I know I was mean to you but we don't have much time! Filigree's actions are being influenced by a dragon in the caves underneath this castle. If you can destroy that dragon, I can get you to your boyfriend!"  
Venus in a stupor looked at her, "Squee promised me the same thing, how can I trust you? And with that, what if you get caught like her? How do I know you won't get hurt too?!"  
Circ gritted her teeth and looked back at her, "Venus, I've already been long abused by him. I couldn't care less anymore about what he'll do to me, I'll know I'll escape soon. I just wanna ensure the other ladies don't get hurt again and that you go home. You have no time to trust me. Take this wand and head past the dungeons. I'll escort you there but you must be quiet!"  
She handed the wand to her and hoped she'd take it. She was sick of being a wife and now was the time that'd change. Venus lightly gripped the wand as it glowed a psychedelic rainbow, it hummed to her and emanated a sense of happiness. The wand was meant for her instead. "Alright Venus, let's do this." Circ smiled at her and they started their trip down towards the Dragon.

The Dragon rested peacefully in his little cove full of items that were coveted in Filigree's eyes; a blanket of Venus', an old poem book, even the music box she made for him. "I saw Filigree light him on fire, lemme see if I can find that matchbox he had." Circ started to search around. Venus used the light from the elusive wand to light the cave and found the matchbox at her feet. She picked up the lil box and handed it to Circ who eagerly lit off a match and awoke the dragon. She covered Venus' mouth so she couldn't get high off of his fumes but in doing so she passed out herself. "Circ!" Venus exclaimed. The dragon looked down at her with glowing Xes in his eyes, "you aren't my friend the king!" He took a clenched claw and tried to smash down on her. Scared at first, she scampered past his bashing fist and, from a surprising act of bravery, jumped and climbed onto his finger. "Disgusting little rabbit! Let me wave you off my hand like dried snot!" He shouted as he flailed his hand back and forth but Venus held on. She stuck the wand in her mouth and started to climb up his arm, "what!? WHAT DO YOU PLAN ON DOING RABBIT!?" His booming voice illuminated his eyes more. The whole cave began to glow and his scream awoke Filigree who charged his way into the cave. Filigree was too late however, Venus unlocked the true power of the wand and saddled on top of the Dragon's head. Her eyes glowed bright white, the wand extended into a terribly sharp, thin blade, and then she stabbed the awful beast. Filigree in absolute shock tried to scream but it was muted by his own terror. He looked to his side and saw an unconscious Circ, quickly he picked her up and brought her to the top of the steps into safety and then ran back down to find Venus, a new creature, a partly empty wand and his dead friend. "You killed my friend…" he said bitterly to her. She tried to explain herself but was quickly interrupted by the same words just a tad louder. He continued, "what was the point in this? Just because I want to marry you, just cause of some of the shit I've caused, is that why you've done this!?"  
"B-but I can explain!" She desperately tried to get to him. He looked back at her, "go to your room. I will be sleeping in your bed with you tonight to ensure that you don't slay anyone else. Oh and don't dare try to kill me too! I just can't believe you Venus. Even I haven't stooped this low…" he looked down at his friend's remains and signaled for his Suzys to take the newly made creature away to his dungeons. He snatched the wand back from her and on their way back Circ woke up, "Did you kill him?"  
Venus, ashamed and scared, replied, "you'll just have to see in the morning…"

Filigree laid awkwardly beside Venus in her lofty purple bed. They were back to back, all scrunched up and filled with so many emotions that they couldn't understand or get out. Filigree tried his best at translating them and started flapping at the mouth to her, yet no response. He tried it again and no response. She was so flustered, so inconceivably angry that she decided to stop talking. What use was it anyway? He was just going to repeat himself. His heart raced and he ended up getting so upset that he… he started to cry. "What have I done? What's happened to me? I really am a shallow man aren't I? I have no saving grace, oh God!" He placed his palms rather forcefully on his face, essentially crying a storm from his cloudiness. Venus looked over, "you would have one, if I weren't here. Or maybe if you didn’t hurt your wives or me or get all high all the time. I mean, Filigree you don't need women to fulfill your wishes just as we don't need you to fulfill ours," she turned back over, "sometimes, we're just better off without magicians." There was a collective silence for a while until Filigree laid on his back and spoke again, "you know, there's something I noticed in your time being here."  
Venus asked subtly, "and what is that?"  
He looked over, smiled, and replied, "you look much better in purple than you do in blue…"  
Venus was flattered, her feelings were so confused and she felt the need to escape. However, Filigree expressed this utter feeling of defeat and loss that made her feel bad for him. This man lived for her and he’d do anything for her just as much as Mars would, but Venus knew she wasn’t meant for Filigree. Just because he was her creation, didn’t entitle him to do the things that he did and Venus knew that. She started to finally remember the day of their breakup; how cool and harsh the breeze was; how stark and unwinding the river bended. Then there was Venus, sitting by the riverbank drinking booze and lamenting about her decision. The water rippled with every teardrop that hit it. Lies, that’s all that played in her head. It was remembering those lies that put her at rest for the night.

Sharleena and Jimmy fought all of the Suzys that were outdoors, it was the morning of the wedding and things were closing in. The Suzys inside the castle paid little to no attention to the creature Venus created that was held in the dungeons. The creature, aptly named The Rose Queen, found a file in the dungeon and began to file the bars at a breakneck speed. They were about to begin their self fulfilling mission; stop Filigree in any way possible. As all of that was happening, Venus was being fitted into her wedding gown. It was an off white gown with gold embellishments and it was accented by a sparkling, spiking crown. She looked even more like an angel than she already did. “I guess I’m ready,” Venus stated to the Suzys around her, “I always imagined my wedding day going much differently than this.”  
“Don’t worry we all did…” Circ retorted, she stood further away from everyone yet again. For some reason, she couldn’t shake off this feeling inside, “Something bad is gonna happen today, I just know it!” Squee came into the room and signaled for Venus, “They’re ready for you. I’m sorry for the things I did by the way.”  
As Venus walked with Squee she told her, “you don’t have anything to be sorry for. Here,” she gave her the bouquet that she was holding, “today you’re gonna be the flower girl.” Squee looked back at her with a bright smile, the first smile she's had in years. All the while there was a subtle scratcha scratch noise in the background. Venus walked down the aisle towards her demise, she was marrying the worst person she ever met and she had to live with the knowledge that she created him. Filigree just grinned and watched her walk daintily down the aisle. She was his now, he didn’t have to fight anymore. She finally made it as he told the priest, “alright priest just get to the good stuff we don’t need big vows or anything today.”  
The priest looked at him and sighed, “ugh fine. Filigree do you take wife number 13 to be with you forever and ever yada yada yada?”  
“I do” the scratcha scratch intensified. The priest looked over at Venus, “wife number 13, do you take Filigree to be your lawfully wedded husband for yadda and yadda yadda?”  
Venus stuttered, “I…,” she looked everywhere, up at Filigree, over at sad lil Squee, “I-”  
“STOP THE WEDDING!” Mars kicked open the doors and ran in with Terry, Sharleena, and Jimmy. Filigree yelled, “no… NO! You can’t possibly still be alive, none of you should be alive! Circ what is all of this?”  
Circ replied, “I’m not gonna kill anyone anymore just for your selfish deeds!”  
“SELFISH!?" He grumbled, "SUZYS ATTACK THEM!" All of Filigree's Suzys began to fight Mars and his crew again, besides Circ and Squee, as Filigree snatched Venus by the waist and ran off with her to the gardens. Once there he plopped her down and got their rings out, "dammit we're gonna get married today if it's the last thing I do!"  
"No!" Venus moved her hand and backed up. He moved forward, "ugh come on Venus, it's gonna be a whole lot easier to rip off this tape if you just let it happen. Let me marry you!"  
"VENUS CATCH!!!" Squee threw the elusive wand to her that hid within her bouquet. It tumbled through the air as Filigree and Venus fought to catch it. Finally it landed in Venus' hand and turned into a sword again, still stained by the blood of the dragon she slayed. "Oh come on, you're seriously not gonna kill me are you?" Filigree put his hands on his hips.  
"No, I just want you to stand back. Fili, I don't wanna marry you, we don't deserve each other and you have quite a lot of nerve to force someone into marriage. Tell me your whole plan."  
He sighed and explained, "I turned anyone who might ruin my plan and who still believed in you into animals then I placed tracking spells on em. That way my Suzys could find em and kill em. After all of them were killed or put into jail, I ordered them to kidnap Mars. Once you were all full of woes I was gonna sweep you away and make you my wife," he looked at her, "my sole wish was to make you happy; maybe prove to you that I wasn’t worth leaving,” he then kissed the air, “I love you, my lil’ lullaby."  
A crash was heard in the grand hall by the garden as The Rose Queen ran out beside Venus. They looked at her, picked up the elusive sword and positioned themselves. They were ready to fight and win. Venus teared up at what Filigree said to her and as for Fili he made a knife appear and he too positioned himself for a fight. Mars finally made it outside to Venus and the other two. He ran up to her, hugged and kissed her. "Oh my love I'm so glad to see you're okay," Venus said crying amidst the fight. "I'll always be okay as long as I have thoughts of you in my head, my dear" Mars kissed her again. "Gosh you two really are saps!" Filigree grunted as he fought The Rose Queen. The Queen kept running in with their sword like a bee ready to sting, but Filigree kept them on their feet by dancing and dodging like the bird who hit the hive. Chaos continued to ensue in the hall as Circ and Squee fought along the trio. "I didn't know you didn't like him either!" Circ exclaimed to her in the midst of a fight. She replied, "let's just say, we have shared trauma," and held her hand. Squee, in her whole time of being in the castle, always wanted to do so. Unlike most of the Suzys, she liked Circ's blunt attitude. They both smiled and fought against the rest of the Suzys. The trio kept punching hard and working together; flipping and dodging like a circus act. Sharleena whacked one of the Suzys across the face and sent her flying over the crowd of other Suzys. “Woah, I can’t believe you still have it in you, old girl!” Jimmy said as he kept dodging. “Yup! These skills never left me, cowboy!” she roared as Suzys kept falling over. In the meantime, Filigree fought harder against The Rose Queen. They lashed at each other and evened the playing field lash by lash. The Queen kept stinging him like a bee but the old bird wouldn't fall. Eventually they both had each other onto the ground, Filigree was close to winning, he had the upper hand, and with one little slip…

Filigree and The Rose Queen fatally stabbed each other. "OH GOD!!!" Venus ran over to both of them. The Rose Queen backed away and shrieked an ear piercing scream as pools of rainbowey oil spilled out from underneath them. Filigree held the sword that stabbed him and looked up at Venus who cradled him. Blood stained everything, including his hands when even touching the sharp object. Venus didn't know what to do or how to fix things, it wasn't like she could just heal him. "I didn't want you to die or get hurt oh no!" She was shaking, pools of tears ran down her face as a chapter of her life was in her arms dying. "No no no, it's okay Venus. I've learned my lesson, I guess." Filigree chuckled as he laid a hand on her arm. Sharleena, Terry, and Jim suddenly turned back into humans while they walked back to the garden. "What's happened?" Sharleena questioned as they all walked out one by one. She covered her mouth as she walked into Jim's arms for a reassuring hug. Terry just stared and cried, "d...Dad?" Their friend, their mentor; he was dying. Jim looked at Terry, "can't you heal him or anything?" Terry thought to himself and replied, "no that's not how my magic works. It can't heal fatal wounds." Filigree spat out blood beside himself and held onto Venus' hand, "listen, I wouldn't have changed any of this for anything else. I still would've fought for you no matter what." Mars walked over to comfort his girlfriend as both himself and Venus turned human again. Everyone else walked up to them as well. The true death of the dragon was among them. All of the magic Fili carried spilled out beneath him. Venus petted Fili as he breathed out his last remaining words, "You will always be my lullaby. Oh God, they can't take me away can they?"  
She cried to him, "no, no they don't have to take you away. They don't have to do anything…"  
That was the end, no more torment, no more running. Her childhood friend and eventual lover was gone and with that so was a part of her spirit...


End file.
